Poll shows PQ ahead of CAQ in voter intentions
Premier François Legault believes that Quebecers are "angry" with him, as a new poll puts the Parti Québécois (PQ) ahead in the polls for the first time in nearly a decade.
According to the Pallas Data survey conducted for "L'actualité" and "Qc125," the PQ now has 30 per cent of the vote, compared with 24 per cent for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which has lost 10 points since September.
"I'm very aware that Quebecers are angry with me, and I'm going to try to do better to win back their trust," Legault commented briefly on his way to Question Period on Wednesday morning.
Legault had said on Nov. 1 that it was "sad to see the drop in support from Quebecers," after he learned of a Léger poll suggesting that the CAQ was falling in voting intentions.
"It encourages us," said the PQ MNA for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, on Wednesday. "It certainly reflects what we're hearing from the population. There's a credible alternative emerging."
In third place were Québec Solidaire (QS) and the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), who garnered 16 per cent support each. The Pallas Data poll was carried out Nov. 17-18 among 1,178 respondents; its margin of error is plus or minus 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
It comes just days after the Legault government announced a subsidy of between $5 and $7 million for the Los Angeles Kings to come and play two preparatory games in Quebec City next fall.
CAQ GRUMBLING INTENSIFIES
The announcement of the NHL subsidy has continued to arouse discontent among Quebecers and even within the CAQ caucus. On Wednesday, other CAQ MNAs publicly voiced their dissatisfaction.
"(My constituents) are telling me the same thing they're telling you. There aren't two opinions," said Youri Chassin, the CAQ MNA for Saint-Jérôme, in an impromptu press conference.
"There's a certain amount of discontent (because) of the latest decisions, some of them," said Marie-Louise Tardif, CAQ MNA for Laviolette-Saint-Maurice. "There is dissatisfaction," she added.
These comments come in addition to those made by CAQ MNAs for Lac-Saint-Jean and Beauce-Nord, Éric Girard and Luc Provençal, who on Tuesday said that financing professional hockey games with public money was "against (their) values."
They also follow comments by ministers Bernard Drainville and Andrée Laforest, as well as Jonquière's CAQ deputy Yannick Gagnon, who publicly questioned the "timing" of the subsidy announcement. Quebec is currently negotiating the renewal of collective agreements with the public sector, and Finance Minister Eric Girard said during the economic update that the financial framework was "tight."
The CAQ appear to be going through a difficult period, after granting a 30 per cent pay rise to MNAs and hastily resurrecting the third Québec-Lévis highway link following their crushing defeat in Jean-Talon.
Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) leader Éric Duhaime again reached out to disappointed CAQ members on Wednesday, urging them to swell the Conservative ranks. According to the Pallas Data poll, the PCQ has 11 per cent support.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 22, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.